Amongst Thin Places
This exhibition was inspired by Kerri Ní Dochartaigh’s book (Thin Places 2021, Canongate Books), that first introduced me to the ancient Celtic idea of Thin Places: caol áit or áiteanna tanaí. Thoughts differ about what these places embody, but in essence they are profound spaces where the spirit realm is considered to be close to earth.
I was taken with this idea, not because I am particularly spiritual or religious, but because when I have been out in the landscape, there are places where I have felt an overwhelming connection with the natural world and in some way lifted out of myself.
I wanted to paint these experiences, so over the last 18 months, when I stumbled across such places, I stopped and spent time observing the world in front of me and within me. I sketched and took photos, but mostly I simply sat and absorbed. Then, later, sometimes much later, in the studio, I watched as responses emerged.
A reflection of thin places. Glimpses of inner spaces. Hope. A reminder of our place on this earth.
These paintings from Aberdeenshire, the west coast of Scotland, the Northern Isles and Andalucia are the result. They raise many questions for me about connection and the link between inner and external worlds – questions that I will continue to explore.
Resipole Studios 19th May – 23rd June 2024
Ridgeline walk – Resipole Studios
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Snowfield – Resipole Studios
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Hidden memory (I) – Resipole Studios
Thin place – Resipole Studios
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Winter light – Resipole Studios
Waiting for spring – Resipole Studios
The croft – Resipole Studios
Mountain at evening – Resipole Studios
Old township – Resipole Studios
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On Morven – Resipole Studios
On the plateau at dawn – Resipole Studios
Remote shore – Resipole Studios
Road to Ronda – Resipole Studios
Space to breathe – Resipole Studios
Midwinter – Resipole Studios
Lost in the mountains – Resipole Studios
Hidden valley – Resipole Studios
Lifted – Resipole Studios
Hidden memory (II) – Resipole Studios
Dark current – Resipole Studios
Cowries – Resipole Studios
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Connections – Resipole Studios
Call of the curlew – Resipole Studios
Blue – Resipole Studios
Below Morven – Resipole Studios
At the top of the valley (with vultures) – Resipole Studios
After the harvest – Resipole Studios
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Assynt – Resipole Studios
A veil over the land – Resipole Studios
A sense of hope – Resipole Studios
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